


Question of Compatibility

by elirwen



Series: Kinkalot 2020 [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon, Arranged Marriage, Bottom Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Rituals, Mutual Pining, Omega Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Prince Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elirwen/pseuds/elirwen
Summary: Two princes, prearranged courtship, and three ceremonies. No one really knows if it can end well.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Kinkalot 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878322
Comments: 8
Kudos: 259
Collections: Kinkalot 2020





	Question of Compatibility

**Author's Note:**

> Written for main challenge of week 3 of Kinkalot 2020.

“Prince Merlin Emrys, heir to the throne of Avalon, Commander of the Dragon fleet, Archmage of the Ealdor Order,” his intended is introduced following his parents' even longer introduction.

“Welcome to Camelot,” Uther greets the royals and their retinue.

He continues his speech, but Arthur doesn’t pay much attention, his gaze locked on the foreign Prince, his soon to be mate.

***

Prince Merlin is, well, unpredictable to say the least. The practiced composure he displayed in front of the noble audience, falls off his shoulders the moment he’s allowed to leave the stifling atmosphere of the court officialities. 

He seems to be just as much at a loss as Arthur in their current situation, making a few horrendous attempts at small talk before giving up and letting Arthur flounder for something to say for a change. 

It’s a horribly awkward affair.

And yet, Arthur can’t say he’s suffering through the whole thing. 

***

Gods, why does this have to be a public ceremony?

Arthur steps closer to the Prince, his stomach tight with nerves. 

He can’t deny Merlin is an attractive man. He can’t deny he’s spent more than a few minutes during their several supervised rendezvous studying Merlin’s form while Merlin was busy telling some sort of story, gesticulating wildly to accompany his words. 

Merlin’s wide shoulders, his chest tightly hugged by the silky smooth material of his shirt. 

Once he nearly dropped an apple Merlin handed him after plucking it from high in the tree, his mind stuck on the image of Merlin’s shirt riding up, a revelation of a sliver of pale skin, a trail of dark hair leading down from his navel, disappearing under the waistband of Merlin’s trousers.

Merlin lets his princely composure slip, raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, his formal smile turning playful and knowing.

Arthur’s heartbeat picks up speed. Again.

He closes the gap between them, presses his nose into the crook of Merlin’s neck and inhales. He feels his knees go weak and holds onto the closest support he can find which is, of course, Merlin.

“My turn,” he hears Merlin say, quiet, just for him to hear, and it takes all his willpower to pull away from the source of the delicious scent. 

‘What if he doesn’t like mine,’ flashes through his mind in a moment of panic as Merlin leans in to return the gesture, but it’s gone the moment Merlin inhales his scent and pulls him flush against his body, his palms hot and possessive pressing against his back.

Arthur can’t help but moan, digging his fingers deeper into Merlin’s sides where he’s still holding onto him.

A moment later they’re pulled apart, several men needed to achieve the task. They stare at each other, breathing hard, disheveled, painfully aroused, the crowd cheering in the background barely loud enough to cover the loud sound of his frantic heartbeat.

***

After the display at their compatibility ceremony, their outings are more supervised than ever. They’re not allowed to step too close to each other. Touching is forbidden entirely.

Arthur is wanking himself raw each night. He sobs into a pillow he uses as a poor substitute for a body that isn’t there while he shoves his fingers into his hole, chasing release from the hell of yearning. 

“One more day,” Merlin murmurs, fingers of his outstretched hands just an inch away from Arthur’s as they lie on a picnic blanket, two men sitting guard between them.

***

The wedding ceremony passes by in a blur. All he remembers clearly is the feeling of Merlin’s hands holding his, the vows they speak, the brief press of lips sealing the union of two powerful kingdoms.

He regains a bit more clarity during the celebratory feast, even with Merlin’s warmth by his side, maybe because of it. He continues fulfilling his duty of the heir to the throne, receiving and thanking for the wedding gifts, engaging with guests, pretending he’s not dying to escape to the privacy of their new chambers.

For a moment he allows himself to drift off into a fantasy of what lies ahead for them.

Big mistake.

‘Shit,’ he thinks as the first cramp hits. He reaches for Merlin’s hand, squeezing to get his attention?

Merlin turns away from some noble he’s been talking to.

“We need to go,” Arthur says in a hushed tone, another cramp hitting. “Now.”

It takes until the third cramp forces a quiet groan from Arthur for Merlin to understand.

“Already?” he asks, his eyes wide with surprise.

Arthur glares at him instead of a response. 

“Alright, let’s go,” Merlin says, glancing towards the main table, his eyes going blank for a few seconds, a sign Arthur learned to recognize as a telepathic communication between him and his father. 

***

Arthur is nearly losing his mind by the time they manage to escape the banquet hall, heading towards the final obligation of the day. The mating ritual. 

He can still hear Gwaine’s “lie back and think of Camelot” shouted as he passed the knight’s table, followed by Percival giving Gwaine a sound smack over his head. 

And somehow it made the prospect of his very near future very real. He’s so nervous he feels like he might be sick.

“It’s alright,” Merlin keeps whispering into his ear, leading him through the castle, into their chambers. “I have you,” he murmurs, batting Arthur’s hands away and helping him undress when he sees how badly his fingers are shaking.

He presses Arthur’s wrists into the pillow above his head, takes his time exploring Arthur’s body, kissing, touching, licking. Arthur sobs through the cramps that are more pleasure than pain now when Merlin is turning him into an incoherent mess. By the time Merlin slips inside Arthur, the fear of the unknown has lifted. 

They find pleasure in each others’ bodies. Again and again. Loud. Quiet. Demanding. Pleading.

They’re no longer one and one. They’re united. 

Unbreakable vow. 

All that’s left is…

Merlin’s teeth sink into Arthur’s shoulder. 

Unbreakable bond.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and/or kudos are ♥.
> 
> [My tumblr.](http://elirwen.tumblr.com)


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